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EIT ICT Labs researchers in Crosstalks on Feb 19th

Crosstalks is an academic talk show where leading researchers from two of Sweden's top universities, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University, explore global issues and highlight cutting-edge research in a live studio event. The next show will be hosted by Stockholm University, Department of Computer and System Sciences (DSV) in Kista and will feature some of the EIT ICT Labs researchers and lecturers.

Smart Spaces?

The first part will investigate Form, function and beauty – how design shapes our lives and Bend or break – materials for the future. This is a field where Charlie Gullström KTH School of Architecutre and Head of the research group KTH Smart Spaces and Konrad Tollmar , KTH School of ICT (Urban Life & Mobility) conduct their research projects within EIT ICT Labs. The third panelist is Stina Hagelqvist, researcher at the Dep of Art history at the Stockholm University.

Design is not only about looks, but about usability and utility. How do appearances and surfaces affect user experience? Are there universal rules of beauty? What does the design of the things around us say about human nature and social structures? How does the digital world change the way we interact with physical objects and spaces? What areas of design will be the most interesting or important in the future?

Gamification of everything?

The main topic in part 2 will be broadcasted live at 6 pm (CET): Game On – how gaming defines our culture and vice versa. Games are becoming a dominant cultural medium with a growing influence over other fields. Virtual reality applications are finally starting to work for gaming. And developments in geo-positioning, motion sensors and the internet of things are blurring the lines between digital and physical gaming experiences.

But how will today's emerging technologies shape the future of digital games? What can the games we play tell us about the human experience in the 21st century? And how does game technology and game mechanics influence research in other areas, ranging from education to robotics? Speakers include Björn Thuresson, manager of Visualisation Studio VIC at KTH, Petter Ögren, Computer Vision and Active Perception Lab (CVAP) at KTH and Tobias Falk, Film- TV- Computer games director and lecturer at DSV, Stockholm University.

Lifelong blended learning

The final session covers the topic Get smart: lifelong learning and relearning. The world has changed drastically in the last 20 years. Yet the institutions and structures we use to educate people are often hundreds of years old. Are traditional ways of learning still relevant? Is the traditional university with its large buildings and established structures for learning becoming obsolete? How is the role of the teacher changing? Are there universal, timeless principles of learning that never change? How do we utilize new technology to enhance learning?

Uno Fors, Head of the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) at Stockholm University, Gunnar Karlsson, Professor of Tele Traffic Systems and Director of the Laboratory for Communication Networks at KTH ( and Academic coordinator of EIT ICT Labs IoT Summer School) and Tessy Ceratto Pargman, Associate Professor (HCI) at DSV at Stockholm University